Homecarer
November 2012
Inside:
3 Chairman’s letter
4-5 Dementia Care Compact
6 Keep insurance premiums down
7 Chief Executive’s page
8 Disclosure service
10-11 Training news
12-13 Members’ Day
14 Members’ news
15 Scotland
16-17 Northern Ireland
18-19 Wales
20-22 England
22-23 Publications and Events
24 Q and A
UKHCA launches new group
buying scheme for members
– see insert and pages 12-13
Working together
will keep the care
market healthy
New opportunities will arise for
homecare providers and commissioners to work together, to develop innovative and integrated services, once councils acquire new
duties to promote ef ficient and
effective local care markets.
When enacted, the Care and
Support Bill will require councils in
England to prepare market position
statements and play a greater role
in shaping services available to service users, to fit local need.
The move follows Government
concerns that care markets are vulnerable to changes that could
undermine service users’ choice of
care. With the demise of Southern
Cross casting a long shadow, outsourcing the norm and private
equity investment increasing, policymakers believe care markets are
too fragile to leave to free market
economics.
Local care markets are also suffering from councils’ efforts to cut
spending, leading to commissioning
that works against service users’
wishes for continuity of care.
Homecare is often switched from
one provider to another after a tendering process, and provided on a
short visit or tight per minute basis,
threatening the dignity and safety
of users and frustrating care workers who want longer to provide
quality care.1
Thankfully government policy is
now to outlaw commissioning by
the minute, but it’s understandable
a recent review of the older people’s care market resulted in a
headline: “Home care market 'faces
collapse without total overhaul’”, in
the care press.2
The Institute of Public Care’s
Members’ helpline: 020 8661 8188
research 3 found a market where
only 16% of homecare was in the
hands of large providers, and most
homecare providers were small or
medium sized organisations trying
to meet different needs. Interviews
with providers revealed that cuts in
council contract prices had
squeezed profit margins to the
bone and threatened the viability of
some providers, echoing the findings of our own Care is not a
Commodity research.
IPC’s report pointed out there is
little evidence of what works and
whether current services are the
most cost effective way to support
service users. With a highly fragmented market, and a growing
number of direct payment/personal
budget and self-funded users, there
is a need to re-structure in a way
that better integrates with healthcare and targets the policy objectives of increasing independence,
and reducing the need for costly
hospital and residential care.
IPC said the way forward was to
target public resources on those
service users who would gain the
most benefit. This meant reconfiguring the care market to:
● Support people to live well in the
community through low-level care
and support to access community
activities (Lifestyle).
● Prevent people with significant
needs from going into hospital or
residential care through short-term
interventions (Reablement).
● Help maintain people with care
needs in the community over the
long–term (Maintenance).
This would require commissioners
and providers to work together, to
create a range of services, each
Turn to page 2
www.ukhca.co.uk
Working together for a healthy market
Continued from front page
with different commissioning
arrangements, different levels of
staff training and care regulation,
producing measurable outcomes for
service users and greater scope for
their input.
The research says providers have
a key role to play, and should make
sure they can respond to strategic
commissioners and consumers.
Providers should consider:
● Are there potential alliances they
could form to create a more integrated approach, for example,
working with alarm or care and
repair providers?
● How could health and social care
tasks be reconfigured into a single
approach? If there is scope to do
this more effectively, what would it
cost and how should it be done?
● How can they introduce flexibility
into the care offer, for example creating micro teams of carers for
small groups of consumers?
● How could the care offer be
reconfigured to increase independence and reduce dependency and
how would this fit a revised business model?
● Do they have a knowledge-based
prevention offer?
With reduced public finance likely
to be a barrier to providers’ ability
to respond to the above, the
research says providers who wish to
expand may need to consider:
● Looking to build greater business
by gaining more work from self-funders who have previously used
informal care
● Increasing turnover by merger
and acquisition and hence total
profit although margins remain the
same.
● Looking to increase share of the
whole market through taking on a
wider range of tasks.
The research concludes with a
warning that the current fragmented market, with care and health
services provided by a disparate
range of organisations, where there
is constant referral from one body
to another, needs to change, to help
the ever-more confused service
user.
Society needs to support more
older people in the community at
lower cost, and an approach is
needed to support well-being that
reduces the period of ill health prior
to death, and lessens the impact of
ill health and acute conditions when
they do occur in old age, so the
overall need for care reduces.
The IPC is helping councils prepare to discharge their new duties
to shape local care markets by
operating the Developing Care
Markets for Quality and Choice
Programme 4 , launched in September by Care Services Minister
Norman Lamb. The programme is
funded by the Department of
Health, and developed with the
Association of Directors of Adult
Social Services (ADASS). It will help
councils form strategic relationships
with providers, strengthen their
market shaping and market
analysing abilities and promote
commissioning for outcomes.
Welcoming the new commitment
to develop a diverse social care
market to meet the needs of local
people, UKHCA Chief Executive
Bridget Warr said: “Councils providing a clear indication of their future
purchasing intentions and their
understanding of the social care
needs of all local citizens is a very
positive move. Markets develop
most successfully where purchasers
and providers are talking constructively. The test of the success of
this initiative will be increased
engagement and willingness by
councils to encourage and foster
innovative ways of working from
existing and prospective providers.”
Francis McGlone, UKHCA Senior
Policy Officer, added: “The IPC’s
vision gives homecare providers a
welcome, key role, where they are
free to discuss their ideas for innovative, integrated support services
with councils, and play an important
part in meeting identified local need
for care.”
UKHCA is involved in developing
care market strategy through its
involvement with several national
consultative committees. Providers
should look out for chances to
engage with councils locally, as this
policy initiative develops.
The Department of Health is also
due to consult on possible financial
regulation of the social care sector
shortly, post Southern Cross, and
we will pass on more details to
members when we receive them.
UKHCA Policy and Campaigns Team
References
1. UKHCA report: Care is not a Commodity: www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=356
2. Community Care: www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/16/10/2012/118605/home-care-market-faces-collapse-without-totaloverhaul.htm
3. Institute of Public Care Market Analysis Centre: Where the heart is ... a review of the older people's home care
market in England: http://ipc.brookes.ac.uk/publications/index.php?absid=739
4. Developing Care Markets for Quality and Choice Programme: http://ipc.brookes.ac.uk/dcmqc.html
Homecarer
Editor: Carole Broughton
Editorial Panel: John Strangwick and Colin Angel
Policy Commentators: Francis McGlone and Joyce Francis
Editorial Advisers: Lucianne Sawyer, President; Yvonne Apsitis,
Ambassador; Noni Cobban, Ambassador.
Telephone: 020 8661 8188
Email: policy@ukhca.co.uk
UKHCA Board:
Mike Padgham, Chair; Stephen Allen, Vice Chair; Lynda
Gardner, Hon Secretary; Stephen Mills, Treasurer;
Trevor Brocklebank, Jo Guy, Peter King, Lesley Megarity
(Northern Ireland), Sushil Radia, Valerie Robson (Scotland), John
Strangwick, Noel Williams (Wales), Max Wurr. UKHCA: Bridget
Warr and Peter Randall.
Details: www.ukhca.co.uk/board.aspx
Homecarer is published by United Kingdom Homecare Association Limited (UKHCA) as a service to UKHCA members. Registered office: Group House, 2nd Floor, 52
Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4SL. Registered in England No. 3083104
● Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this edition, it is intended to provide information rather than a definitive statement of the law; advice
should be taken before action is implemented or refrained from in specific cases. UKHCA and its contributing authors accept no responsibility for action taken or
refrained from solely by reference to the contents of this edition.
● Homecarer is designed and typeset by Simon Jenkins, 36, Allerton Grange Rise, Leeds, West Yorks, LS17 6LH. t: 07791-333229; e: s.w.jenkins@ntlworld.com
● Printing by ESPrint Solutions, Media House, 26 Trenance Gardens, Halifax, HX4 8NN; t: 01422-375445; e: info@esprintsolutions.com; w: www.esprintsolutions.com
● All views expressed in Homecarer are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Association or its Board
● UKHCA can accept no liability for services or products offered or provided. Inclusion in Homecarer does not imply endorsement by the Association.
● For an advertising pack or to find out about joining UKHCA, Tel 020 8661 8188, enquiries@ukhca.co.uk
● Picture on page 7 by Matthew Joseph; picture on page 21 by Courtesy of the Department of Health
●
2
Homecarer – November 2012
Chairman’s letter
Fresh impetus for making the case for
sustainable high-quality homecare
As we go to press, the glow of a
very successful AGM and
Members’ Day is still with me as I
look back at an event that left the
UKHCA refreshed and energised
for the challenges ahead.
I am excited by the rejuvenated
Board, where we have welcomed
new members Peter King of Kemble
Care, Max Wurr of City & County
Healthcare Group and Trevor
Brocklebank of Home Instead
Senior Care.
Before moving on, I would like to
thank those former board members
who have stood down. They did a
fantastic job, at a time of great
change for UKHCA and their contribution is very much appreciated.
I am very optimistic that our new
arrivals will bring with them some
fresh ideas to give us a renewed
impetus. We are going to need it as
the pressures on the social care
sector remain fairly relentless. The
headlines are filled with the news
that a number of the people moved
out of Winterbourne View following
abuse at that private hospital, may
well have suffered fresh abuse at
their new home.
If lightning has indeed struck
twice for these unfortunate people
then it is dreadful that they have
been victims again.
Abuse can never be condoned and
I know all of you in UKHCA will be
with me when I welcome the jail
sentences handed out to those who
were convicted of mistreating
patients at Winterbourne.
We have also had regional BBC
Inside Out broadcasts that in places
exposed homecare workers providing care without the proper checks
in place. We gave interviews to several television programmes and
local radio to describe how
providers try hard to recruit the
most suitable people. A more
knowledgeable media is now, rightly, asking probing questions, particularly when they uncover service
failures.
As a sector, we have to have our
house in order but we must never
forget to repeat the message that
the vast majority of care is carried
out to a very high quality by people
with compassion who want to
ensure their clients enjoy dignity
and respect.
The challenge for us all is to make
the case for sustainable, high quali●
●
●
Mike Padgham
ty homecare. We must engage with
the wider world – politicians, regulators, commissioners, journalists,
and families seeking care for their
loved ones. That ’s what we’re
seeking to do with our current
engagement campaign.
We’ve had success engaging with
the new ministerial team for health
and social care will be doing more
networking at Westminster in the
coming months.
Apart from our letter writing initiative to challenge councils about
their commissioning practice (we’re
now on our third round of letters),
we’ve written to Eric Pickles,
Secretary of State for Communities,
to seek information on failed homecare contracts. We want to investigate the accountability of councils
when contracts are let at prices
which are unsustainably low. As the
Department responsible for local
authorities, we hope this is something they will look into.
We’re also talking to the Care
Quality Commission about their role
in relation to commissioning - a
longstanding issue. Their strategy
indicated the Commission see commissioning as a key lever, and so we
want them to take a more robust
stand on quality issues caused by
poor practice.
We support the Equality and
Human Rights Commission, which is
flexing its muscles as regulator. It’s
preparing to “name and shame”
councils that haven’t acted on its
homecare report last year, and
improved their commissioning. An
excellent move and we’re working
closely with them on our shared
agenda.
Equality should be on everyone’s
minds at the moment, as new age
discrimination rules came in from
1st October, which mean services
must be provided equally. A practical result is that older people with
support needs should now be treated the same as their younger counterparts, something to look out for
when care is commissioned.
Members will soon have a powerful tool they can use to help negotiate contracts. The launch of our
costing model is imminent and will
provide an accurate way of demonstrating your costs. We are also
harnessing the power of group purchasing, with our new Consortium
scheme for members (see insert
with this Homecarer).
One of the things that I hope
came across during our AGM was
my desire to grow UKHCA and
increase our influence. So in ending
my letter this month, I will make an
appeal: If each member invited
another fellow homecare provider
not currently in UKHCA to become a
member, that could potentially have
a massive impact on our numbers –
and that would be great news for
everyone!
Mike Padgham
UKHCA Chair
The Consortium group buying scheme: www.ukhca.co.uk/theconsortium
UKHCA Board: www.ukhca.co.uk/board.aspx
STOP PRESS Everest trip to support Action on Elder Abuse: p14.
Homecarer – November 2012
3
UKHCA commits to the Dementia
Jennifer Roberts, Dementia Lead for UKHCA, considers the Dementia Care and Support Compact
and the role domiciliary care providers can play. UKHCA was one of ten key organisations
earlier this year to sign the Dementia Care and Support Compact, part of the Prime Minister's
Challenge to improve services for people with dementia. The background to the Compact,
which applies in England although its principles are relevant UK-wide, is described by Martin
Green OBE, Independent Sector Dementia Champion, opposite.
domiciliary care for people with
dementia 2
● SCIE – producing new content for
the Dementia Gateway, particularly
on the importance of early diagnosis and post-diagnostic support 3.
Members will be aware that
UKHCA has a range of services
and resources to support homecare providers to develop and
deliver quality dementia care services.
At a strategic level, we represent
the homecare sector on the
Dementia Care and Support
Compact, attend meetings arranged
by the National Dementia Strategy
Workforce Advisory Group - and
regularly contribute to a wide range
of consultations on behalf of the
sector across the UK.
Our helpline and email service
(dementia@ukhca.co.uk) answer
specific questions about providing
support for people with dementia
and discuss developing homecare
services and workforces. Our regular email alerts keep providers up to
date and we produce a wide range
of publications, articles and
resources which address key
dementia challenges and offer practical advice.
Domiciliary care providers sign up to
the challenge
Jennifer Roberts
We work in partnership with:
● The Alzheimer's Society - producing a guide for home care workers,
Support and care for people with
dementia at home 1
● South West Dementia Partnership
- producing a report on Improving
Two thirds of people with dementia
live in the community, often with
regular help from family and
friends, and with homecare services
playing a key role in enabling them
to live independently as long as
possible.
Many homecare providers have
already signed up to the Dementia
Care and Support Compact and we
encourage others to commit, and
raise awareness of their support.
(See below for how to do this). We
suggest each provider should think
about:
● How to develop quality dementia
services (person-centred, relationship-based care for the individual,
the main carer, family and friends)
Dementia Care and Support Compact
Introduction
This Dementia Care and Support Compact is our
response to the Prime Minister's Challenge on
Dementia. It sets out our commitment to supporting
the delivery of the National Dementia Strategy and
improving care and support for people with dementia,
their carers and families.
Our challenge
We challenge the perceptions surrounding social care
services for people with dementia. Our services will
provide the right care, in the right place, at the right
time.
People with dementia using our services will be able
to say:
● I am respected as an individual.
● I get the care and support which enables me to live
well with my dementia.
● Those around me and looking after me are well supported and understand how to maximise my independence.
● I am treated with dignity and respect.
● I know what I can do to help myself and who else
can help me.
● I can enjoy life.
● I feel part of a community and I am inspired to participate in community life.
●
●
●
●
4
● I am confident that my end-of-life wishes will be
respected. I can expect a good death.
Our commitment
We will:
● focus on quality of life for people with dementia, as
well as quality of care. By knowing the person, their
life history and their personal culture, our staff will
deliver a personalised package of care and support;
● set a benchmark for high-quality relationship-based
care and support for people with dementia. We will
inspire and encourage our sector to take responsibility
for delivering this, building on existing good practice;
● engage and involve the wider community to improve
their support for people with dementia, including GPs
and healthcare professionals;
● play our part in supporting the wider community,
sharing the knowledge and skills of our staff, and
inviting people into our care settings;
● work with commissioners of care for people with
dementia to ensure they commission quality care services appropriately; and
● clearly set out how we have delivered on this
Compact to make a difference for people with dementia, their carers and families. This will link into the
work on quality and transparency being taken forward
as part of the Care and Support White Paper.
Compact signed by 10 founding signatories, including UKHCA, on behalf of the care sector
Compact (p24): www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_133176.pdf
List of signatories to Compact: www.ecca.org.uk/article/prime-ministers-challenge-on-dementia-list-of-signatories/
To sign up to the Compact as a provider, email: leonie.purvis@ecca.org.uk
Homecarer – November 2012
Care and Support Compact
Compact follows the Prime Minister’s lead
The development of the Prime Minister's Challenge on
Dementia marked an important milestone in changing
public perceptions about dementia. As care providers
know, this is one of the biggest challenges we currently face, and yet for many years it was ignored by governments and policymakers. By challenging us all to
improve services for people with dementia, the Prime
Minister has now taken the lead in setting this as a
priority for both government and society.
When I wrote the Dementia Care and Support
Compact for the Prime Minister, I felt it was important
to clearly outline what people using services have a
right to expect and to acknowledge the system had to
respect the individual's rights and dignity.
I have been delighted this initiative was so strongly
supported by UKHCA, as one of the first to sign up
and commit to the Compact's aims. Domiciliary care
is vital for people with dementia and their carers.
● The tools, good practice or models
you have in place, or are developing, that ensure your care staff get
to know the person, their life history, personal preferences, hobbies
and interests
● How you ensure that you enable a
person with dementia to live with
and make the most of their abilities
and adapt to changes as their condition changes
● How you support carers (do you
carry out separate assessments and
put in place plans to meet their
needs?)
● What you know about other services and support networks operating in your community that could
help people with dementia
● Developing
partnerships or
alliances with like-minded organisations to help share information,
knowledge and support to create
more dementia-friendly communities
● How you are developing and supporting your workforce to meet the
needs of people with dementia and
their carers and families. 4
The Prime Minister's Challenge
highlights a number of other areas
where the care sector can make a
real difference to people with
dementia. There are a number of
important areas to consider:
Without that support, many people would be unable to
live in the community and many families would not
cope with their caring responsibilities. We must ensure
the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia is met in
every part of the system, including commissioners.
Providers cannot deliver on the Compact on their own
- in many areas commissioning practice makes the job
incredibly difficult and doesn't acknowledge homecare's vital contribution.
UKHCA is working tremendously hard to challenge
poor commissioning and improve the sector's recognition. I hope your support for the Dementia Care and
Support Compact will send a clear message that domiciliary care is ready to provide a 21st-century care
service, if well commissioned and properly resourced.
Martin Green OBE
Independent Sector Dementia Champion
often the first to provide regular
services to people showing signs of
cognitive impairment, many of
whom may be undiagnosed. This
provides an opportunity to observe
the person's cognitive abilities over
a period of time - and make a valuable contribution to assessments
carried out by GPs or other health
professionals who may only see that
person for a snapshot in time.
Post-diagnostic support
Improving dementia diagnosis rates
People with dementia and family
carers may need support to come to
terms with a diagnosis and manage
their symptoms. They need to feel
in control of their lives and still feel
valued. Domiciliary care providers
are well placed to meet these
needs.
Light touch support in the early
stages (domestic help, assisting to
maintain activities and hobbies) is
very useful. Developing partnerships to deliver peer and carer support and dementia awareness helps
care staff and family carers to learn
together. Ensuring people with
dementia and their carer have
access to information about powers
of attorney, financial support and
benefits through referrals to appropriate organisations will help to create dementia knowledge and support within a community.
Research has shown that early diagnosis and support are vital in
improving quality of life for those
with dementia.
Domiciliary care providers are
Providers have the opportunity to
build relationships based on trust
and mutual respect with a person
with dementia and their carer (if
Continuing care
they do not live alone). Staff can
get to know the person, their likes,
dislikes, hobbies and interests and
help create a life story, all of which
can contribute to the individual plan
of care that can be adapted to
reflect changing abilities.
Growing interest in direct payments (and families and individuals
topping up or funding their own
care) gives domiciliary care
providers an opportunity to create
innovative care solutions that put
people with dementia at the centre
of their support and care package.
Supporting carers
Being a carer presents its own challenges and it is important for domiciliary care providers to recognise
and support carers in their role by
offering carer assessments, to identify their needs and provide support
and solutions to meet them, without
compromising the relationship with
the person they are caring for.
Future developments
UKHCA is looking at ways to represent and involve domiciliary care
providers in the Prime Minister's
Dementia Challenge and help them
further develop quality, person-centred dementia care services across
the UK. We are interested in what's
happening in your area, and welcome suggestions about the
resources you need, so please send
your responses to dementia@
ukhca.co.uk.
Jennifer Roberts
UKHCA Consultant
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
www.alzheimers.org.uk/
www.ukhca.co.uk/pdfs/Ukhca-domiciliary-care-final-report.pdf
www.scie.org.uk/publications/dementia/earlysigns/index.asp
The UKHCA Skills for Care Workforce Development Dementia Fund supports qualifications for dementia care,
end of life care and activity provision and offers enhanced payments for achievement of certain qualifications.
Details from www.ukhca.co.uk/fundtra.aspx and
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/funding/workforcedevelopmentdementiafund/workforcedevelopmentdementiafund.aspx
Homecarer – November 2012
5
Have the right cover – but
keep your premium down
In the current economic turndown,
companies looking to reduce their
outgoings are weighing up the
cost of insurance against the level
of cover they need.
There are several factors that
influence the insurance buying
process:● Mandatory insurances
In general some covers, such as
Employers' Liability, are necessary
to trade legally. The legal minimum
is currently set at £5 million, but
most insurers generally don't offer
cover for less than £10 million. To
reduce cover from the standard £10
million, down to £5 million, would
only save a minimal premium
amount, if any at all.
● Programme review
A thorough review of existing insurance arrangements can help companies make informed decisions
about which risks should be protected with insurance and which can be
catered for in-house.
Much depends on the likelihood
that something will go wrong and
the impact if it does. So while a
buildings insurance premium is generally considered a price worth paying, the cost of insuring against the
loss of mobile phones may not be.
● Excesses and warranties
The application of warranties or
increased excesses reduces the
insurer's exposure and can result in
a premium saving. The insured
should be confident any liability
they incur as a result would not
Rising insurance premiums can have a significant impact on
homecare providers' budgets. Jason Claydon, Technical
Director of UKHCA's preferred insurance brokers, Towergate
Patrick, discusses insurance buying in today's economic
climate.
The Care Sector
seriously affect their ability to trade.
Self-insurance
Large companies with the finances
and resources to do so may decide
to meet the cost of some or all
claims in-house.
Companies considering reducing
their insurance spend should consult a broker who can guide them
through the process and make them
aware of any significant consequences.
●
Insurers set premiums to reflect the
risk a business represents. So it's
important to demonstrate:
● robust management and health &
safety procedures are in place;
● staff are adequately trained and
claims are the exception rather than
the rule.
In today's litigious environment
the care sector is vulnerable to an
increase in negligence-based claims
and must take seriously the benefits
that risk management can bring.
Utilising on-line training, accident
reporting and knowledge
banks can improve business
standards and reduce the
likelihood of claims being
made.
We encourage all businesses to work with a broker who can offer industryspecific expertise, provide
proactive risk management
services and undertake a
thorough insurance review
to establish where legitimate and appropriate cost
savings can be made.
Jason Claydon, Technical
Director
Towergate Patrick
● Towergate Patrick is a
homecare insurance specialist. It provides a range of
insurance products and
proactive risk management
tools that contribute to premium savings and help businesses operate professionally
and profitably. For more, see
advertisement on page 10 or
call 020 8336 0099.
6
Homecarer – November 2012
Chief Executive’s page
The changes at the top
haven’t lessened the pace
The sector now has a dif ferent
Health Secretary and Care Services
Minister following this summer’s
Cabinet reshuffle.
We’re one of the provider representatives who were called at short
notice in October to meet new
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and
describe our sector’s key issues.
The Health Secretary made it
clear that his priorities will be longterm conditions, older people and
integrated health and social care.
Quality will also be high on his
agenda and he expects managers in
particular to play their part in
ensuring services perform well.
The new Care Services Minister
Norman Lamb is to meet us and we
are preparing for a wide-ranging
discussion. The previous minister,
Paul Burstow, is our constituency
MP in Sutton and Cheam and we
still have a flourishing relationship
with him - Paul remains committed
to the care sector and is now somewhat freer from the back benches.
The changes at the top haven’t
lessened the pace. The Department
of Health is pressing on with putting
the adult social care White Paper
into action. We’re working closely
with them on moving away from 15
minute commissioned visits and per
minute payments. The Department
has set up three boards – one internal, an Implementation Board and
the
Care
and
Support
Transformation Group - the key
forum for engagement which I’ve
agreed to join. We’ve also commented on the draft Care and
Support Bill, particularly on the new
council duty to promote local care
markets.
I went to a Round table with
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State for Quality, Earl Howe, and
Baroness Greengross for the
Equality and Human Rights
Commission, where there was useful dialogue on human rights in
social care.
Sue Coe from EHRC
spoke at our Wales conference and
we are working closely with them,
Bridget Warr
as they have teeth as a regulator.
The EHRC is about to review all
local authorities in England about
how they commission care, to see if
this undermines workers’ human
rights because it impedes payment
of minimum wage.
The Five Nations Care Forum met
in Dublin and there was lively discussion between umbrella provider
representatives and care regulators
from Northern Ireland, Scotland and
Wales, plus the authorities moving
forward regulation in Ireland.
(Unfortunately the Care Quality
Commission couldn’ t make it).
There were fascinating exchanges
between regulators on key issues,
with plenty of opportunity for us to
comment on behalf of providers.
We’re inviting the regulators back in
the Spring when I hope we’ll look at
workforce regulation too.
We met with Sarah Pickup,
President of the Association of
Directors of Adult Social Services,
to discuss our “Care is not a
Commodity” research. We are
delighted that ADASS have agreed
to
co-sponsor
“Bring
a
Commissioner to Work for the day”
with us (see below) and Sarah
agreed to test our new costing
model. We hope ADASS will see
through their earlier commitment to
work with us with selected local
authorities to improve their commissioning practices.
Unison have launched an Ethical
Care Charter, with a list of key
demands, which commissioning
councils can sign up to. It follows
their homecare worker survey
which echoed many of our survey
findings and is a welcome step
towards ending rushed and undignified home care, and low pay for
staff. But it’s hard to see an overall
improvement without more public
investment.
Our engagement campaign continues and we are building quite a
resource of correspondence from
councils about their contract practice and rates. We will keep the
pressure on during councils’ planning and budgeting for 2012/13 and
you can read all their responses on
the members’ section of our website.
Our conference in Wales was a
success, despite the weather. It
was good to meet members and
hear
from
the
speakers.
Unfortunately our Northern Ireland
conference had to be postponed as
speaker Health Minister Edwin Poots
was needed at an Executive meeting, but we hope to re-schedule in
the New Year.
You may recall an item we ran a
few
months
ago
about
a
Department for Business-funded
initiative on the use of technology in
telecare and telehealth. Four trial
areas are now underway and we
plan to run an article on this and
the ways in which members can get
involved in the next edition of
Homecarer.
I am convinced that homecare
providers have much to gain from
espousing telecare as a way of
extending the services they offer
cost-efficiently. High quality homecare augmented by appropriate elements of telecare (never replacing
human contact) could be particularly supportive to clients wanting to
stay in their homes and communities.
Bridget Warr
UKHCA Chief Executive
chiefexecutive@ukhca.co.uk
Bring a commissioner to work for the day
UKHCA is organising a “Bring a commissioner to work
for the day” initiative. If your organisation is interested in hosting a council care commissioner for the day,
please register at www.surveymonkey.com/s/77QXLRX registration will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Taking part will give your organisation the opportunity
to demonstrate to care commissioners the real, practical challenges of providing high quality homecare with-
in current commissioning practices. The feedback we
collect from participating providers and commissioners
will also significantly strengthen UKHCA’s ability to represent your views and experiences of commissioning
practice at a local and national level.
The more care providers that register, the stronger
our case will be in making others take notice.
For more about registration, please contact:
jo.bridges@ukhca.co.uk
Homecarer – November 2012
7
Disclosure service
Take care with retrospective
checking in Scotland
As we went to press, retrospective
checking of employees in post at
28 February 2011 was due to start
on 29 October 2012.
The checking of existing staff in
Scotland by the PVG Scheme is due
to last for three years and Disclosure
Scotland hope to stagger the work.
Disclosure Scotland has asked registered bodies to take care before
submitting a retrospective application for an existing employee that
they haven’t already been introduced into the PVG Scheme by
another employer.
They say if the 'retrospective'
employee is already in the PVG
Scheme for the specific regulated
workforce(s), then it is only necessary to apply for a PVG Scheme
Record Update (SRU). The SRU
costs £18 and has a quicker turnaround time, so this should be
cheaper and quicker than submitting
a full Scheme Record application.
For more information on this, and
how to complete the correct PVG
Application Form accurately, see:
www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/
Disclosure
Service
Services unchanged by agency merger
A further change to vetting and barring in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland takes place from the
December 2012. This will see the
Criminal Records Bureau and
Independent Safeguarding Authority
(ISA) merge to become the
Disclosure and Barring Service
(DBS).
The merger doesn’t change the
services, and the CRB say they will
continue to deliver services to customers as normal throughout the
transition. They will be going
through a rebranding exercise, so
customers may notice small
changes to the application form and
certificate; some of the language
used and their website guidance.
For more about the changes,
including a useful presentation to
use for staff training, see:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies/crb/about-crb/crb-changing/
Contact details for the DBS:
Enquiries about DBS checks Customer Services: 0870 90 90 811
●
● Referrals and safeguarding matters - Help Desk: 01325 95 37 95
● The CRB intends to start a new
update service in early 2013 that
will allow an individual to apply
once for a criminal record check. If
that person needs a further check,
the existing certificate can be reused, with their organisation
checking online to see if it is up to
date. More information is expected
at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agenciespublic-bodies/crb/crb-press-releases/
Give your service users
peace of mind
8
Homecarer – November 2012
Homecarer – November 2012
9
Training news
Employers benefit from developments
Skills for Care has set in place
data-sharing and improved online
information from NMDS-SC for
employers. Project Manager David
Cubey explains what's in it for
homecare providers.
Most social care employers are
familiar with the NMDS-SC data collection project operated by Skills for
Care, and I'm delighted to
announce some exciting recent
developments on how the workforce
data it generates can benefit
employers.
Skills for Care continues to
improve the support and usability of
the NMDS-SC system in response to
feedback from social care employers and their representative bodies,
like the Care Providers Alliance
(CPA, of which UKHCA is an active
member). To see all the new system
enhancements and how NMDS-SC
has been made easier to use and
navigate,
see:
www.nmds-sconline.org.uk/news/View.aspx?1467
Provider Quality Profiles using NMDSSC data
One important step is to link Skills
10
for Care's workforce information
with Department of Health (DH)
and Care Quality Commission data
collection processes, to reduce
duplication and make data submission easier for employers.
The Government published a
White Paper, Caring for our future:
reforming care and support,' in July
2012. By April 2013, the
Department of Health will publish
clear and accessible information for
the public on staff training as part
of social care and health provider
quality profiles, so that people can
understand for themselves the skill
mix of staff at different care
providers. In total there are eight
quality measures, two of which will
come from NMDS-SC data:
● Ratio of trained to untrained staff
● Overall staff turnover rate
The eight proposed measures aim
to give service users, carers and
Homecarer – November 2012
commissioners a rounded picture of
the quality of the care provided by
their local residential and domiciliary care providers. They will provide one element of the proposed
comparative information that will
give providers the opportunity to
demonstrate their reputation in the
market.
Enabling DH to automatically populate an online portal with NMDSSC data for two of the proposed
measures will help employers by
enabling their performance on these
quality measures to be published.
Employers will be able to opt out
of sharing their data. However, a
significant number of large
providers and trade organisations
(including UKHCA) are now signed
up to a voluntary industry-led compact to provide transparency on the
quality of care. Regular meetings
are taking place with DH at which
employers' views are represented
by CPA and we welcome any feedback on this initiative.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The CQC was one of the stakeholders who advised on their requirements when the NMDS-SC was first
Training news
to Skills for Care data system
being developed. The definitions of
service types in NMDS-SC reflect
the regulation framework adopted
by CQC. Skills for Care is committed
to the COUNT principle of 'collect
once and use numerous times'. As
well as NMDS-SC data being used
by the DH for the provider quality
profiles, CQC are using NMDS-SC
data to develop the quality risk profiles (QRP) of regulated providers.
Skills for Care is in discussion with
CQC about when the social care
QRP and how they are calculated
will be made available to securely
logged-in regulated providers on
the CQC website.
The advantage to employers is
that data supplied to Skills for Care
through NMDS-SC can be directly
provided to CQC (with employers'
permission) for the QRP. CQC have
undertaken not to ask employers for
the same information they have
entered into the NMDS-SC, if the
data supplied is up to date.
Skills for Care will take up any
cases where, despite a provider's
NMDS-SC record being up to date,
an inspector asks for the same
information. If you experience this
then please phone the NMDS-SC
Help Desk on 0845 873 0129 or
email the NMDS-SC Support Service
at: nmds-support@skillsforcare.
org.uk
Impr oving NMDS-SC repor ts for
employers
Skills for Care has made the information derived from the NMDS-SC
more accessible for employers. The
NMDS-SC reporting module for
employers has been greatly
improved in order to engage
employers and encourage the use of
NMDS-SC for workforce and business planning. The new 'dashboard'
reports can be found at www.nmdssc-online.org.uk/news/View.aspx?1546
This includes a video tutorial on:
● flexible benchmarking of a social
care provider against other
providers
● key interpretation of information
at a glance
● 'What is this report telling me?'
● 'What resources can help me?'
The reports will significantly
improve the way logged in employers access and interpret NMDS-SC
information to make informed business decisions.
Help and guidance for employers
To find guidance documents to
assist with the completion of NMDSSC, go to www.nmds-sc-online.org.uk
and click on 'help and guidance' on
the left hand side of the page. The
NMDS-SC Help Desk is also available to assist employers on 0845
873 0129.
David Cubey
Project Manager, Workforce
Intelligence (Strategic Development)
Skills for Care
Resources
●
●
●
NMDS-SC system enhancements: www.nmds-sc-online.org.uk/news/View.aspx?1467
NMDS-SC Dashboard reports: www.nmds-sc-online.org.uk/news/View.aspx?1546
CQC Provider Quality Profiles: www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/08/pqp/
Homecarer – November 2012
11
Members’ Day
Delegates meet board – and learn
We held our Members’ Day in
Bristol this year, alongside our
Annual General Meeting. With
capacity attendance, the event provided an opportunity for members
to hear about latest developments
and meet the UKHCA Board, senior
members of staff and other members.
Chair Mike Padgham welcomed
members to the Day, explaining the
need to continue the representative
and campaigning role that has seen
the Association’s profile and reputation increase dramatically.
Chief Executive Bridget Warr went
Andy
Tilden
of
Skills
for Care
on to describe UKHCA’s vision of a
UK where a choice of high quality,
sustainable community-based care is
available to all. She said our mission
is to promote this, so people who
need help can continue to live at
home. With quality is at the heart of
what we do, UKHCA has a range of
means to support providers.
Policy Director Colin Angel gave a
presentation on the work the
Association is doing to challenge
commissioning practices, and raise
the profile of homecare provision.
Members heard about the latest
developments following the launch of
our Care is not a Commodity report,
and campaigning activity, as we
engage with the media, politicians,
regulators, councils and Trusts.
Corporate Services Director Peter
Randall gave delegates a demonstration of our new costing model, which
we expect to launch in midNovember. He explained the model
has three modules that calculate the
Presentations from Members’ Day: www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx
● Skills for Care’s report on adult social care workforce:
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/news/latest_news/Adult_social_care_workforce_continues_to_grow.aspx
●
Fresh blood joins the UKHCA board
Fresh blood will prepare UKHCA for
the challenges ahead, said Chair
Mike Padgham, as three new nonexecutive directors joined the board
at the recent annual general meeting in Bristol.
Mike Padgham welcomed the three
new arrivals, Peter King of Kemble
Care, Max Wurr of City & County
Healthcare Group and Trevor
Brocklebank of Home Instead Senior
Care, commenting that their inclusion strengthened the board at a
tough time for the sector:
“It is with great pleasure I welcome Peter, Max and Trevor. They
bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge about the sector and will be a tremendous asset
to our strong and committed board.
“There is little doubt that this is a
very tough and challenging period
for social care, with commissioners
cutting back and a great deal of
uncertainty about how social care is
to be funded in the future.
“To represent our membership of
more than 2,200 homecare
providers, we will need a board that
is on its mettle, full of energy, drive
and enthusiasm for the months
ahead. We are delighted that our
new members will strengthen our
work in the future.”
The new non-executive directors
were equally pleased with their election.
Mr King said: “I am delighted to be
elected onto the UKHCA’s Board at
this critical time for the homecare
New UKHCA board members Peter King, Max Wurr and Trevor Brocklebank
sector, and hope to bring my enthusiasm and skills to support the
Association’s mission of promoting
high quality, sustainable care services.”
Mr Wurr added: “I started my
career as a care worker and consequently retain a passion and understanding of the realities of the social
care ‘coal-face’ that I hope will benefit all the UKHCA’s membership.
Above all, I am excited about the
opportunity of supporting the
Association’s highly successful
attempts to lobby policymakers and
to raise the profile of the homecare
workforce, upon which we are all set
to become increasingly reliant in
coming decades.”
Mr Brocklebank said: “I am looking
forward to being more closely
involved with UKHCA and am
delighted to have been elected to
their board.
“At a time of change in the social
● UKHCA
12
Homecarer – November 2012
Board: www.ukhca.co.uk/board.aspx
care sector, the work done by organisations like UKHCA will become ever
more important. I am particularly
interested in promoting high standards of care and will continue to
champion this through my new role.”
Lynda Gardner of Oxford Aunts
Care and Stephen Allen of Prime
Care were re-elected to the board
and to the roles of Honorary
Secretary and Vice Chair respectively. Valerie Robson of Border Caring
Services was re-elected unopposed
to represent members in Scotland.
Steve Mills of Do Care continues as
Honorary Treasurer.
Mr Padgham added: “I’m sorry to
say goodbye to Heather David of Mid
Yorkshire Care Ltd, John Ivers and
Barbara Hobbs who have served our
Board well. We are very grateful for
their individual contributions and
wish them all the best for the future.
I very much hope that we will stay in
contact with them all.”
Members’ Day
of some exciting developments
cost per hour, the commissioned rate,
and breakeven point for homecare,
helping providers of all types cost their
services and negotiate with local
authorities. Produced as direct result
of members’ requests, the model has
been developed by a panel of financial
directors, road tested by providers,
evaluated by a local authority and is
simple and easy to use. It’s also available in Welsh.
In the afternoon Head of Sector
Development (Skills) Andy Tilden from
Skills for Care gave delegates an
update on the the work SfC are doing
in response to the adult social care
White Paper, including recruitment and
retention strategy, promoting apprenticeships and developing qualifications
more generally. Projections derived
from NMDS-SC showed that we will
need many more workers in the future
to care for the ageing population. Andy
said it is vital they are trained well, and
paid tribute to UKHCA’s success over
the years in distributing SfC funding for
training, to members.
A team from preferred insurance brokers Towergate Patrick attended the
event, and Managing Director Sue Lee
told delegates how their tailored domiciliary care insurance scheme can benefit members’ businesses.
The day was topped with the launch
of our new group buying scheme operated by the Consortium Care, who
exhibited at the event, which gives
members the chance to purchase supplies at low prices. Don’t miss the
insert with the printed edition of
Homecarer or see: www.ukhca.co.uk/
theconsortium
Services available to
UKHCA members through
our preferred partners
ith
Insurance made easy w
Features include:
●
A members
10% Discounts for UKHC
hanced options
● Exclusive en
rgate.co.uk
Email: homecare@towe
for further information
Please quote TGPHCCE
Or call: 020 8336 0099
HR Advice
Specialist HR advice Free
with the HR Department
Call:
0845
634
9169
Savings made easy with
Essential supplies for Ho
mecare
Features include:
● Exclusive di
scounts for members
● Price match
guarantee
Visit: www.ukhca.co.uk/
theconsortium
Or call: 08453 66 88 22
Medication E-Learning
Designed by UKHCA, delivered by
Ceftor – specialist provider of
learner management systems
Call: 020 3287 4874
Care Fees Planning
Helping your service users
plan for the cost of their care
Call:
0808
156
2673
To find out about the full range of UKHCA membership benefits please visit www.ukhca.co.uk
Homecarer – November 2012
13
Members’ awards
UKHCA members reach peaks of achievement
On a beautiful sunny morning in
August, a group of professionals,
including representatives from
UKHCA members Agincare, Home
Instead, Sevacare, and Domus
Healthcare walked Pen-y-ghent,
Ingleborough and Whernside,
Yorkshire's three highest peaks.
The aim of the charity event was
to bring health and social care professionals together to walk the
three peaks in under 12 hours – a
total of 26 miles. With over 30 care
companies taking part, the event
(organised by directors of National
Permanent Recruitment Company,
Health and Social Care Jobs) was a
huge success and raised over £3000
for the Alzheimer's Society.
Richard Aram and Param Toor, of
Home Instead in the Midlands, said
it was one of the most difficult
things they have ever done, but
worth every mile: "Having never
Laura
Stone, Matt
Board,
Denise
Chrippes,
Andy
Graham,
Simon
Luckhurst
and Raina
Summerson
of Agincare
done anything like this before, the
sense of personal achievement as
well as a collective team spirit as
people from all parts of the health
and social care sector come together was very rewarding..."
Raina Summerson, Group CEO of
Agincare Group Limited, who was
one of a team from the company,
said: 'The whole event was a great
idea, good for meeting others, an
excuse to raise money for a great
charity, but also a really positive
team building exercise."
SIL makes debut on Social Care TV
This summer UKHCA members Services for
Independent Living, based in Herefordshire and South
Wales, showed what excellence in domiciliary care
means, in a film made by the Social Care Institute for
Excellence (SCIE).
One of a series of training films available free online
at SCIE's Social Care TV, the video recognises SIL as
an "innovative homecare service providing homecare
with a difference.". In the film four service users
show how SIL provide support to enable them to live
at home and have an excellent quality of life.
SIL Service Manager, Ginnie Jaques, said: "We are
delighted that SCIE has recognised the excellent work
which we do and has used us as an example for other
organisations to aspire to. SIL provides domiciliary
care with a difference so people get much greater
choice in the support they receive to remain independent in their own homes".
The film also features a panel of experts including
UKHCA's Policy Director Colin Angel discussing excellence in homecare. To view the film, go to:
www.scie.org.uk and select Social Care TV, Excellence,
Defining Excellence - Excellence in Domiciliary Care.
www.s4il.co.uk
Steve aims high for Action on Elder Abuse
UKHCA Board Member and newly-elected
Vice Chair, Steve Allen, is trekking to
Everest Base Camp to raise money for
Action on Elder Abuse, the charity with
whom UKHCA works closely on adult
safeguarding issues.
The three-week trip starts in
Kathmandu in mid-November, where
Steve joins his climbing partners on a
flight to Lukla, before trekking through
Sherpa country past fields and villages
ahead of the steep climb to Base Camp
at 5,500m.
Each night he will stay at one of the
Nepalese mountain lodges (also known
as tea houses), including a couple of
days spent acclimatising at 3,500m.
Whilst the days should be pleasant and
sunny, night-time temperatures can
plummet to minus 20 degrees.
In preparation for the trip Steve has
been walking the equivalent of a
marathon a week for the past six
months. He has also undergone thorough medical tests including MRI scan,
14
Homecarer – November 2012
ultrasound radiology, and cardiac exercise treadmill.
Steve says: “Everest has been on my
‘bucket list’ for years and I finally have
the chance to realise that ambition.
“I have spoken to a few people who
have done the trip and they describe the
last day before reaching Base Camp as
one of the most challenging but rewarding of their life, so I am approaching the
event with a mixture of excitement and
trepidation. I am told that I can forget
about showering for two weeks unless I
like ice water, and that the toilets freeze
– so I will have to adapt and overcome!”
Approaching its 20th anniversary
next year, charity Action on Elder Abuse
www.elderabuse.org.uk has launched an
appeal to help raise money to ensure
that it can carry on speaking out against
abuse through continued lobbying, challenging, questioning and supporting.
Please help UKHCA to support Action
on Elder Abuse by giving as much as you
can at www.justgiving.com/steve-allenUKHCA
National reports – Scotland
Direct payment take-up grows slowly
The take up of direct payments is increasing, but still small compared with
those receiving homecare services, according to recent figures.
Over the last year, the number of people receiving direct payments has
increased by 15% from 4,392 in 2011 to 5,049 in 2012.
While the number of people using direct payments has increased each
year, the number of those receiving homecare services provided or purchased by local authorities has fallen over the last five years.
However, the number of people using direct payments is still small compared with the 63,500 people receiving homecare services at March 2011.
www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/09/self-directed-support
National reports
Scotland
Concerns over the cost
of free personal care
at home has increased from 32,870 in
2003-04 to 46,720 in 2010-11, an
increase of 42.1%.
● The proportion of older homecare
clients requiring personal care services
has also increased. In 2003-04,
56.9% of clients received personal
care services. This has increased to
90.3% in 2010-11.
The 157.6% increase in spending
● The average hours provided each
reflects the fact that an increasing
week has increased from 6.9 hours in
proportion of older people are cared
2003-04 to 7.9 hours in 2010-11.
for at home, rather than in hospital or
UKHCA Board representative for
care homes; that increasingly homeScotland Valerie Robson commented:
care workers are providing personal
"Since the statistics were produced,
care services rather than domestic
care at home has gone to the top of
services; and that people living at
the political agenda. Opposition parhome have increasing levels of need.
ties are now questioning the extent to
Valerie Robson
The increase in expenditure is
which the cost of free homecare for all
because:
has risen. This is a debate which will run for years."
● The number of people in receipt of free personal care
www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00399515.pdf
Scotland's Chief Statistician has published statistics on Free Personal and
Nursing Care for 2010-11 which show
council spending on personal care
services to older people at home has
risen from £133 million in 2003-04
to £342 million in 2010-11.
PA introduction agencies may face registration
The Scottish Government has
responded to the Health and Sport
Committee's Stage 1 Report on the
Social Care (Self-directed Support)
(Scotland) Bill. The Bill lays the
foundation for arranging care and
support in a way that provides a
range of choices to individuals in
how they are provided with their
support.
In response to the Committee's
recommendation that agencies providing personal assistants (PAs),
and other social service workers,
should be required to register with
the Care Inspectorate, the Scottish
Government said it will consider this
in the context of its Reshaping Care
project.
It rejected the recommendation
that minimum induction training is
made available to PAs and their
employers. However, it will be gathering further information on the size
and skill levels of the PA workforce
to scope the demand for practice
development networks for PAs.
● www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_HealthandSportCommittee/Inquiries/Social_Care_(Self-
Directed_Support)_(Scotland)_Bill_(SDS_Bill)_Stage_1_report.pdf
Budget for growth – but local government faces squeeze
Finance Secretary John Swinney has announced Scottish Government's Draft Budget for 2013-14 aimed at
stimulating economic growth, ending the public sector pay freeze in 2014, maintaining NHS funding and seeking
more efficiency savings from public sector bodies. With a continued council tax freeze, local government is likely to suffer a further decrease in funding. www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0040/00402310.pdf
Public contracts and the living wage
Scottish Procurement has issued a policy note about
advice it has received from the European Commission
on using the public procurement process or public contracts to require contractors to pay their staff a 'living
wage'. The European Commission has clarified that
public bodies cannot require contractors to pay their
employees a living wage as a condition of participating
in a tendering exercise or through a contract performance clause. Public bodies can, if they wish, still
encourage contractors to pay their employees a living
wage.
The clarification comes as the Scottish Government
consults on its Procurement Reform Bill, which aims to
establish a national legislative framework for sustainable public procurement and contains provisions about
the living wage, and a Member's Bill is brought by John
Park MSP.. The policy note can be downloaded from:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00399217.pdf
Homecarer – November 2012
15
National reports – Northern Ireland
Demographics and budgetary changes
Northern Ireland’s population over
age 65 is likely to double over
next 50 years and its citizens with
disabilities are living longer.
If the provision of social services
remains as it is, services will be
unable to cope with the demand for
support. At the same time public
finances are being squeezed and
budget cuts or revenue increases
are needed just to maintain services as they are.
It is timely, therefore, for two
major public consultations to be
launched -one on paying for care in
the medium to long term, the other
on reconfiguring current health and
social care services.
Paying for Care
Minister for Health, Social Services
and Public Safety Edwin Poots MLA,
supported by Nelson McCausland
MLA,
Minister
for
Social
Development, want everyone to
participate in a debate on caring for
the ageing population. Their consultative paper: “Who Cares? The
Future of Adult Care and Support in
Northern Ireland” is the first step in
a process to form a new vision for
adult care and support:
1. A six month public consultation
and debate
2. A proposals document
3 . Key decisions regarding the
National reports
Northern Ireland
direction and funding of care and
support services.
The current system
Current government policy on adult
social care in Northern Ireland is to
support people to live at home and
encourage a flourishing independent sector, among other aims. It
is a policy UKHCA has welcomed,
and indeed actively campaigned for
in Northern Ireland, as well as the
rest of the UK.
Figures show that in September
this year 23,522 people in Northern
Ireland were receiving homecare.
The number is steadily increasing,
as is the number of people with
dementia and long-term conditions.
The working population is not
keeping pace and people with disabilities now expect more equal
services, putting pressure on the
system.
The public also misunderstands
how the social care system works.
Many believe social care is free,
like NHS care, so are not planning
for their own future. Those who
have to pay residential care costs
(and possibly have to sell their
homes), believe this is unfair as
they have “paid” for care already,
via national insurance and taxation.
Vision for Care and Support
The Who Cares? paper calls for a
fair and sustainable system, following the principles of dignity and
respect, personal choice, safeguarding, prevention, personalisation, and early intervention to
restore independence, principles
identified following the Transforming your Care (TYC) review.
For there to be a full discussion
about a future system, five key
questions need to be answered:
● Government policy over the past
10 years has been to encourage
the increased use of the independent sector to promote a mixed
economy, value for public money
and maximum choice for individual.
Should care and support continue
to be provided on a partnership
basis?
● Should there be a focus on early
intervention, preventative care and
16
Homecarer – November 2012
National reports – Northern Ireland
bring new urgency to care debate
support services?
● Direct payments are increasing in
popularity but there is still a small
proportion of users, so managed
budgets are being piloted to ensure
users are better supported. Should
service users have control over how
their assessed needs are met?
● It is generally accepted most people would like to remain at home,
and the draft vision is designed to
increase the number so supported.
But for some
people residential or
n u r s i n g
homes may
be a better
option. If it
costs more
to support
someone at
home than in
residential
care, is it fair
there is then
less money to
support other
p e o p l e ?
Should there
be a balance
between individual choice and efficient use of public resources?
● Reform should include community
support, like transport, and support
for family carers. Are these the
right areas for reform or are there
other areas to look at?
Responsibility for care and support
The paper says the debate must
also include the balance of responsibility for paying for care. At present
there is a mixture of governmentfunded care and support, individuals
paying for their own services and
unpaid carers and volunteers providing support.
There is no uniformity on charging
for publicly arranged care and support. For example,individuals do not
have to contribute to the cost of
domiciliary care even if they receive
Disabled Living Allowance or
Attendance Allowance. But individuals are charged for residential and
nursing home care, via a technical
assessment that can be hard to
understand. Family carers also top
up care costs, and new ways are
needed to prevent them from
becoming isolated and feeling they
are taken for granted.
So what should be the balance of
responsibility between government,
individuals and community/carers in
the future?
Join the debate
The deadline to reply to the consultation is 15 March 2013, a longer
timescale than usual
to allow time for
debate.
Lesley Megarity,
UKHCA Board Member for Northern
Ireland, commented: “Key decisions
need to be taken
Lesley Megarity
about supporting
the country’s older and disabled
population in the future. The value
of the independent homecare sector, and how it can provide cost
effective, quality care is recognised
by DHSSPS and we will continue to
stress our vital role in supporting
people at home. With policymakers
expected to focus on the lack of
parity between those supported by
our sector, who receive free care,
and those in residential care, who
are means tested and can in some
cases have to sell their homes to
pay for care, the debate will be
tough, and the decisions for government, harder.
As homecare
providers we must make our views
are heard.”
The DHSSPS questionnaire, online
consultation, and public consultation
are available at: www.dhsspsni.
gov.uk/showconsultations?txtid=58501
Please email your comments to
policy@ukhca.co.uk
Minister consults on transformation plans
A parallel consultation has been launched by
Minister Edwin Poots called "Transforming Your Care:
Vision to Action". This follows the review of health
and social care in Northern Ireland which took place
last year, and contains plans to reconfigure current
health and social care services.
The proposed changes are said to be the biggest in
the delivery of health and social care in a generation
and include the formation of Integrated Care
Partnerships.
In his speech to the Assembly, Mr Poots explained: “A
fundamental principle within TYC is the shift of service
provision, moving treatment and care out of the hospital sector and into the community, closer to people’s
homes. A key vehicle for facilitating this is the development of Integrated Care Partnerships across Northern
Ireland, which will bring together health and social care
professionals across the secondary, primary and community sectors, to work together in collaborative networks to deliver a more complete range of services for
people in their local communities. ICPs are to be based
on multi-disciplinary working with General Practitioners
playing a leadership role but with clinical leadership
also available from other health and social care professionals.
“In the main, ICPs would focus initially on supporting
frail older people to maintain their independence and
people with certain long term conditions, namely diabetes, stroke services and respiratory conditions. This
would include focusing on improving how treatment
and care is delivered, providing an environment for
new ideas and innovations with a stronger emphasis on
prevention and early intervention. ICPs would also put
in place arrangements to identify those people who are
most at risk of having to go into hospital unexpectedly,
and develop plans and actions to prevent the need to
go to hospital.
“ICPs are a new approach and should have an important role to play in reducing emergency admissions to
hospital and supporting the movement of services out
of the hospital sector and into the community. In so
doing, ICPs would involve strong collaboration with
providers in the voluntary and community sector as
well as independent health care providers.”
Lesley Megarity, UKHCA Board member for Northern
Ireland said: “We strongly believe the independent sector should be encouraged to play their full role as partners in delivering the care. We have much to bring to
the table and need to act as full partners with the
statutory sector to deliver best value for the taxpayer.”
Mr Poots said it was vital that people’s views were
heard. He promised a series of public engagement
events and an information leaflet for every household.
The consultation will end on 15 January 2013. We will
be replying on behalf of members, so please email your
comments to policy@ukhca.co.uk by 4 January 2013.
Minister's oral statement to the Assembly:
www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/tycoralstatement091012
TYC: Vision to Action consultation and podcast:
www.tycconsultation.hscni.net/consultation/
UKHCA Policy and Campaigns Team
policy@ukhca.co.uk
Homecarer – November 2012
17
National reports – Wales
Minister uses Conference address to
Following UKHCA Chair Mike
Padgham’s summary of major policy changes in Wales, Gwenda,
Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister
for Social Services, praised the
domiciliary care sector for its commitment to high quality care.
Turning
to
the
Welsh
White
Paper
Government's
'Sustainable Social Services for
Wales: A Framework for Action',
delegates were told that her vision
was to fit services around a person's needs, rather than people fitting around services. But that this
was being implemented in a changing society of higher expectations
with fewer resources. With no new
money, we need to re-think how we
meet people's needs, she said.
However, there was much in the
White Paper to boost the esteem of
social care: £10 million to extend
the powers of the Care Council for
Wales to train the workforce, a legal
framework for social care services
in Wales, portability of services,
choice and control for service users,
etc. A Bill is to be introduced early
next year which will take all of next
year to get through the Assembly,
she said, and praised UKHCA for its
positive contribution which had
helped shape the Bill.
Ms Thomas announced to some
surprise that there was to be an
Francis McGlone, UKHCA's Senior Policy Officer, reports on
UKHCA's Wales Conference, sponsored by Towergate Patrick,
held in September 2012 at Llandrindod Wells, Powys.
National reports
Wales
amendment of the regulations governing the registration of domiciliary
care managers. Managers will now
need to register with the Care
Council from next year (and not
from 31 October 2012 as originally
planned - see below for details).
This, she said, would recognise the
professionalism of managers in the
sector.
Next to address the conference
was Steve Vaughan, Programme
Manager
Sustainable
Social
Services, SSIA (Wales). He told
delegates that the Memorandum of
Understanding was being replaced
by a new Commissioning Board with
representatives from local authorities and local health boards with
places for CSSIW and the Care
Council. A National Provider Forum
is also being established with representation from groups like UKHCA.
Joint meetings will be held between
the two bodies.
He hopes that it
may be possible to resolve issues
before they get to judicial review.
Mr Vaughan also discussed the
changing role for local authorities in
Wales in facilitating the care market
for both users funded by social services and self-funders. This included local authorities providing more
information for providers through
market position statements.
Providers, he said, can contribute to
this by telling local authorities what
information they need. Starting
this year they will be carrying out a
market analysis of domiciliary care
throughout Wales. This includes
the size, shape and capacity of the
sector, gaps in service provision and
the stability of the market.
After a lively Open Forum and
refreshments, Sue Coe, the
Inquiries and Investigations
Manager at the Equality and Human
Rights Commission spoke about the
inquiry the Commission carried out
into homecare last year. This found
that most people were happy with
the homecare service they receive.
However, they found pervasive
Government consults on registration
of homecare agency managers
The Welsh Government is consulting on the statutory
requirement for registered managers of domiciliary
care agencies in Wales to register with the Care
Council for Wales.
This registration requirement will come into effect
from 31 January 2013. After that date all managers of
domiciliary care agencies registered with CSSIW to
provide services will be required to also register with
the Care Council for Wales. It was the Welsh
Government's intention to introduce this registration
requirement sooner but this has not been possible.
There will be transitional arrangements for those
who are not able to do this immediately. For those
existing managers in post registered with CSSIW, that
is, those in post before 31 January 2013, there will be
a period of grace until 30 June 2013 to obtain the
required qualifications - a Level 5 Diploma in
Leadership for Health and Social Care Services in
addition to holding a Degree in Social Work, or one of
its predecessor qualifications - and to also register
with the Care Council for Wales.
In addition, for those appointed after that date, that
is, those appointed after 31 January 2013, there will
be a similar period of grace until 30 June 2013 to
allow those individuals to also register with the Care
Council for Wales.
After 30 June 2013, therefore, registration with the
Care Council for Wales will be mandatory for all managers of domiciliary care agencies registered with
CSSIW, regardless of when they were appointed.
UKHCA Ambassador Yvonne Apsitis commented:
"The consultation makes clear that the person who
needs to qualify to register with the Care Council for
Wales is the Registered Manager of the domiciliary
care agency with Care and Social Services
Inspectorate for Wales."
The consultation is open until 28 November 2012.
Members can either respond directly to the Welsh
Government or send their views and comments to
UKHCA: francis.mcglone@ukhca.co.uk, so we can
respond to the consultation on their behalf.
● The full consultation document and the response form can be downloaded from:
http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/healthsocialcare/domiciliary/;jsessionid=zTCvQs9ZSzJnHzp1vvfyZGdSdcwJ0t1T4NGKFnQQvmcv
vY72CrLQ!-259515681?lang=en
18
Homecarer – November 2012
National reports – Wales
praise commitment to quality care
Pictured at the Conference are, from left: UKHCA Chief Executive Officer
Bridget Warr, Social Services Improvement Agency Programme Manager
Steve Vaughan, Equality and Human Rights Commission Inquiries and
Investigations Manager Sue Coe and UKHCA Chair Mike Padgham.
social isolation and loneliness. Ms
Coe said that many of these problems could be resolved if local
authorities made more of the
opportunities they have to promote
and protect older people's human
rights in the way homecare is commissioned, and in the way homecare contracts are procured and
monitored.
EHRC's primary recommendation
is that the definition of 'public function' should be extended to include
the provision of homecare by private and voluntary organisations, at
least when this is publicly arranged.
Local authorities also need to do
more to incorporate human rights
into the ways in which they com-
mission care services and need to
overcome the barriers which many
older people face when raising concerns or making complaints.
Following Sue Coe was Caroline
Davis, a direct payments user and
Mariann Hewitt, Social Care
Planning Officer, Direct Payments,
City and County of Swansea.
Caroline Davis outlined to delegates
the care her family received, what
help she needs and what is missing.
She also talked about her family's
dream and managing risk. Mariann
Hewitt explained the legislative
position on direct payments, what
you can use a direct payment for
and the new opportunities for the
homecare sector from direct pay-
ments.
After lunch, there were three
breakout sessions for delegates to
attend: David Francis, Chief
Inspector, CSSIW on domiciliary
care registration, Sue Phelps of
Alzheimer's Society Wales on
dementia care and Douglas Mullen,
solicitor at Anthony Collins Solicitors
LLP, on National Minimum Wage
compliance. The
day was rounded
off by UKHCA's
Chief Executive
Officer Bridget
Warr, summing
up and closing
the conference.
Bridget said:
"We are grateful to everyone
who came to
our conference,
despite
the
a p p a l l i n g
weather. We
Noel Williams
must say thank
you to all our speakers,
including the Deputy Minister who
made a huge effort to support us,
and Caroline Davis, who gave us a
refreshing service user's view."
UKHCA Board representative for
Wales, Noel Williams added: "It was
great to see such a good turnout.
We hope everyone enjoyed the day,
and could take back something useful to their business."
PowerPoint presentations for
speakers are available to download
from our website (member username and password needed) with
kind permission of the speakers:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=365
Positive messages in Older
People Commissioner’s survey
UKHCA has welcomed a new homecare report by the
Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Sarah Rochira.
The report "My home, my care, my voice" is based on
survey responses of over 1,000 older people receiving
homecare in Wales.
The report highlights that:
● 83% of respondents to a survey stating they were
"satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their homecare
● 85% of respondents said they were often or always
provided with good quality care;
● 80% were always or often listened to;
● 80% were cared for by people they knew.
UKHCA's Chief Executive Bridget Warr said: "We commend the Older People's Commissioner for her work
championing the voice of people using homecare in
Wales and congratulate the providers and care workers
who make homecare such a positive experience."
The Commissioner's report also highlighted that
"fewer than half of older people [surveyed] reported ...
that their care workers give them as much time as they
need", echoing our own "Care is not a commodity"
research which found significant commissioning of short
homecare visits by councils in Wales.
The Commissioner's report referred to a perceived
deterioration in user satisfaction over the last twelve
months, which we believe is at least in part a symptom
of cost saving strategies by councils.
UKHCA is committed to working with Welsh
Government and the Older People's Commissioner to
analyse the impact of commissioning practice on the
care of older people in Wales and to work together to
improve the outcomes for people who use services.
UKHCA press release: www.ukhca.co.uk/mediastatement_information.aspx?releaseID=230832
The "My home, my care, my voice" report can be found at: www.olderpeoplewales.com/en/news/news/12-0927/Older_People_s_Commissioner_for_Wales_launches_report_My_Home_My_Care_My_Voice.aspx
●
●
Homecarer – November 2012
19
National reports – England
UKHCA members commit
to Making it Real
Think Local Act Personal is a sector-wide partnership driving forward progress on personalisation
and community-based social care
at a national level in England.
UKHCA have been signatories to
the Think Local Act Personal
Partnership (TLAP) since its creation
in 2011. Our Chief Executive
Bridget Warr sits on the Programme
Board of the Partnership, ensuring
that homecare providers are represented in this personalisationfocussed initiative.
At a recent event hosted by
UKHCA, TLAP explained and promoted their Making it Real markers
and how they can be used by
providers to review how personalised their services are and to set
priorities for improvement with the
people who use their services. The
Making it Real markers are a set of
26 "I" statements written by people
who use services which describe
what they'd like to see and experience from a personalised care service.
At our event, providers heard
about the impact that using Making
it Real had had on the services and
people using them, of a national
provider - Action on Hearing Loss.
Providers who want to publicly
declare their commitment to personalisation can sign up to the
Making it Real website, where the
public can view providers in their
area that have signed up. Once the
declaration has been made,
providers can use the "I" statements with the people using their
services to co-produce three priorities to make their service more per-
National reports
England
sonalised. When the top three priorities have been established,
providers then need to create an
action plan of how they will achieve
these priorities in the next six
months. As soon as the provider is
happy with the action plan, they
can upload it to the TLAP website
and obtain a personalisation kite
mark.
TLAP will remind providers about
their action plans after six months
when providers will be able to submit the action they have taken, plus
a further three areas for action for
the next six months.
Providers that sign up to TLAP's
Making it Real initiative not only
show their own commitment to personalisation online, and with a kite
mark, but can also make contact
with other likeminded providers in
their area.
The benefits of personalisation are
well known by homecare providers
and UKHCA members at our event
were able to give some great examples of the personalised care they
offer. A consistent comment on the
day was that members felt that
they were already offering personalised care services, particularly to
their private clients who are able to
choose exactly what they want out
of each visit and for how long.
Council commissioning still proves
to be the biggest barrier to personalisation in the eyes of many
providers. Trying to personalise
homecare and develop priorities for
action can prove almost impossible
in some areas, particularly where
providers are paid very low rates
and care is commissioned for short
periods of time. Here providers
must ensure that every minute of
the care worker's time is spent on
the activities that have been commissioned, leaving little room for
clients' personal preferences.
In response to delegates' concerns, TLAP assured UKHCA members that they continue to receive
high level support from ADASS and
CQC as well as care providers
across the nation. A number of local
authorities have also signed up to
Making it Real and TLAP continue to
encourage this as a demonstration
of the services that people should
be able to expect from their authority. TLAP will continue to work with
CQC on aligning their statements
and in ensuring recognition for
providers that have signed up to
Making it Real.
If you'd like to find out more or
declare your commitment to personalisation, visit the TLAP website:
www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Browse
/mir/
UKHCA members who have signed up to Making it Real so far are: 3 Trees Community Support Ltd, Bluebird Care (Bury), Bluebird Care
(Calderdale & Bradford South), Bluebird Care (Kirklees), Bluebird Care (Tamworth, Lichfied, Nuneaton and North Warwickshire), Bluebird
Care (Medway), Bluebird Care (Swindon), Bridge Care Services Ltd, Broadfield Care Services, Care Outlook, Caremark (Wakefield),
Carewatch Horsham & Crawley, Carewatch Maidstone/Ashford, Carewatch North West Wiltshire, Cherry Tree Vale T/A Home Focus,
Chilmington Homes Ltd, Christies Care Ltd, Circle Care, City & County Healthcare, Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd, Country Court Care
Group, Crystal Lemon Care Ltd, Eleanor Nursing and Social Care, Home Choice Care Ltd, Housing 21, Kentish Homecare Agency Limited,
Key2Support Ltd, KeyCare, Kivernell Care Ltd, Kylemore Care Services Ltd, Mid Yorkshire Care, Morwenner Care, Napier Homecare
Services, Nottingham Community Housing Association, Pars Care Ltd, Peace of Mind Homecare Services Pegasus Homecare Solutions,
PULSE Community Healthcare, Quality Care of Cheadle, Secure Care, Sterling Care & Support Ltd, Tender Loving Carers Domiciliary Ltd,
The Caring Company, The Good Care Group, The Homecare Partnership, Verilife, Walnut Care Ltd, Watch Home Care Services,
Westminster Homecare Limited and Wight Home Care Ltd.
●
New guidance on fire safety training
Fire services want to enlist the help of homecare providers to promote fire safety in service users' homes.
Following a number of fatal fires across London, the London Fire Service investigated the common risks that
were present prior to each fire. Their research highlighted that a significant number of people, who lived alone,
received some form of care service and there may be a role for providers in promoting fire safety.
Working with Skills for Care, a new guidance note has been produced to tie in with Standard 8 of the
Common Induction Standards for workers in England, which highlights the greatest fire risks and how care
providers and service users can get free advice from their local fire services.
To read the guidance, go to: www.skillsforcare.org.uk, and search for "fire safety".
20
Homecarer – November 2012
National reports – England
Dilnot recommendations? Hunt
is now on for a cheaper solution
New Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
indicated at the Conservative Party
conference in October that the
Government is seeking an alternative
way of implementing the Dilnot
Commission's recommendations on
funding care in England.
Jeremy Hunt
It wants Dilnot supporters to help
find an option that is cheaper to the
public purse than the estimated £1.7
billion the Dilnot plan would cost. The
delay means there is still no news
when pensioners can expect their care
costs to be capped.
We are meeting with Care Services
Minister Norman Lamb, who succeeded
Paul Burstow MP in September, to discuss a range of issues relevant to the
homecare sector, and hope to raise our
concerns about the further delay.
We have submitted comments on the
draft Care and Support Bill calling for
clarity of the Government's intentions
on care charging policy, and for confirmation there would be full parliamentary and public debate before housing
assets were included in financial
assessments of recipients of domiciliary care. We also wanted to know
how new local authority obligations to
promote an efficient and effective local
care market would be enforced.
The UKHCA response can be found
at www.ukhca.co.uk/cons.aspx
Minister launches a framework
for great social care leadership
Aspiring leaders have a new tool
that will help them develop skills.
The national Leadership Qualities
Framework for Adult Social Care,
developed by the National Skills
Academy for Social Care and the
first of its kind in social care, was
praised recently by Norman Lamb
MP, Minister of State for Social
Care.
The government sees developing
leadership as key to realising the
objectives set out in the White
Paper, Caring for our future:
reforming care and support.
The Minister said, at the
Framework’s
launch:
“Great
Leadership requires the right skills,
behaviours and values. The new
leadership qualities framework is a
fantastic step in the right direction.
This work will mean organisations
can better assess their leaders and
introduce training to make sure that
they have the right behaviours for
the job to bring higher quality and
better care in the sector. I am also
delighted that this work will support
development of leaders in both
social care and the NHS to help the
drive towards better integration of
services.”
The Framework describes what
good leadership looks like in different settings and situations, illustrating the attitudes and behaviours
needed for high quality leadership
at every level of the sector, and is
designed for everyone in social
● National
care, from apprentices and care
assistants through to team leaders,
Registered Managers, directors and
chief executives.
For more information on the LQF,
please contact debbie.sorkin@
nsasocialcare.co.uk or go to
www.nsasocialcare.co.uk
Reports – England continue on Page 22
Homecarer – November 2012
21
National reports
– England
Continued from Page 21
CQC consults on fee
regime from 2013
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has launched a
consultation on the fees that health and social care
providers will have to pay from April 2013.
This consultation sets out CQC's strategic aims for fee
setting in the future as well as their plans for 2013-14.
To start with the good news, CQC do not plan to
increase fees or alter any of the bandings for social
care providers next year.
The Commission has set out a number of objectives
in their consultation which they hope will enable them
to meet their guiding principles for fee setting. The
objectives are to:
● Demonstrate fairness and proportionality
● Reflect costs
● Promote compliance
● Make fees simple
● Be transparent
● Be evolutionary and visionary
Proposals under the 'promote compliance' objective
will be of interest to members, as CQC is considering
how to promote compliance through fee reductions.
CQC also intend to involve providers much more in
their fee setting by establishing a Fees Advisory Panel
under the 'demonstrate fairness and proportionality'
objective.
With regard to incentivising their fee scheme, CQC
admit that this is at a very early stage and would need
careful consideration and consultation. Their proposals
suggest that providers would be able to earn small fee
reductions through means such as demonstrating compliance and reducing the need for CQC to inspect, and
being an efficient provider by completing notifications
and payments online.
However, the ability to reduce your fees would be
fixed by CQC and every provider would have to pay a
suitable fixed rate to cover the costs of regulation. In
addition to the fixed rate there would be a variable element that could be reduced by the provider or
increased by CQC. The policy intention here is that
higher performing providers should not have to pay the
extra costs of regulating poor performing providers.
Additionally, CQC has stated that a Fees Advisory
Panel will be set up from this December, allowing CQC
to include providers in their fee setting more frequently
than once a year.
As well as assisting with the detail of fees for 201314, the panel will be assisting CQC with regard to
incentivising their fee scheme and other future changes
to their fees scheme. UKHCA will be seeking a place on
this group to represent homecare providers in CQC's
long term fees strategy.
An additional element in this year's consultation is
that CQC is looking into online credit card and instalment payment options for providers and will comment
further on this in March 2013 when the consultation
response is published.
UKHCA will be responding on behalf of members. The
consultation closes on 21st December 2012, so if you
have comments please send them to policy@
ukhca.co.uk.
www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/documents/cqc_re
gulatory_fees_from_april_2013_consultation_0.pdf
Joyce Francis
UKHCA Information Officer
22
Homecarer – November 2012
Publications and events
Keep in touch with the
key issues in homecare
UKHCA's publications and events keep you up-to-date
with policy changes, provide guidance to help you
implement changes and keep you abreast of best
practice in care.
Future events
For further details of our events, including programmes, cost and booking details, please go to
www.ukhca.co.uk/conferences.aspx or phone 020 8661
8152.
Featured Event
Mental Capacity
Act (2005) Workshop
It is assumed, in the
first instance, that
everyone has the
capacity to make
decisions for themselves.
However, do you
and your staff know
how to identify when
someone lacks capacity or is just making
an unwise decision
and do you know
what to do about it?
The aim of this one
day workshop is to
help you understand
the legal requirements and principles
supporting
the
Mental Capacity Act
(2005), and take
you through the key points of the Code of Practice,
a document that can help you to meet your commitments within the Act.
Date: Thursday 15th November 2012
Time: 09.00-16.00
Location: Group House, Sutton
Other events
November 2012
Pension Seminars - These seminars will help you prepare for the pension reforms that came into effect
from 1st October 2012.
Date: Tuesday 6th
Time: Choose from 10.30-12.00 or 14.00-15.30
Location: Group House
Performance Management Workshop - This workshop
will help you to ensure you are up-to-date on topics
such as supervision, appraisal, performance management, interviewing skills and employee relations.
Date: Thursday 8th
Time: 09.00-16.30
Location: Group House
ked
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Full
Publications and events
Spotlight on Medication
UKHCA Medication Policy Guidance & Medication Policy Template
UKHCA’s Medication Policy Guidance and Medication Policy Template have
now been updated in line with the recent changes made to the Medication
Train the Trainer programme (see September edition of Homecarer).
The main changes have been made to the levels of administration to reflect
the amount of assistance that is required by the service user and the level of
help given by the care worker.
The wording has been changed to avoid confusion with regulator’s past and present levels of administration and is:
First tier
The service user is independent and needs
physical assistance only with their medication with all interventions being initiated by
the service user.
Second tier
The service user is not totally independent
but can manage their
medication
needs with
oral assistance either
to
prompt
medication
to be taken
or to check
whether it has
been taken.
Third tier
The service
user is not
independent
and
cannot
manage their
medication
needs without
care
staff
administering
their medication.
Full explanations are given
in the new Training Programme and Policy
Guidance; however, organisational policies
should fully clarify the level of help provided
to service users.
Resources:
UKHCA Medication Train the Trainer Programme:
Non-UKHCA Members: £90.00 each, UKHCA Members
£45.00 each: www.ukhca.co.uk/productdesc.aspx?ID=2 or attend
our workshop (see below) and receive a copy as a delegate.
●
Free to UKHCA members:
● UKHCA Medication Policy Guidance:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=60
● UKHCA Medication Policy Template:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=151
For information about other UKHCA resources available to
members and non-members, please go to
www.ukhca.co.uk/pdfs/publicationsOrderForm.pdf or see
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx
Medication Train the Trainer Workshop - This workshop
will enable you to train your staff in-house. Delegates
will receive a comprehensive training pack.
Date: Wednesday 14th
Time: 09.00-17.00
Location: Bristol
Mental Capacity Act (2005) Workshop Workshop - See
opposite.
Date: Thursday 15th
Time: 09.00-16.00
Location: Group House
Preparing for CQC Inspection Workshops - This workshop
will help you understand what evidence you need to
comply with the regulations.
Date: Tuesday 27th
Time: 09.00-16.30
Location: Birmingham
December 2012
Medication Train the Trainer Workshop - This workshop
will enable you to train your staff in-house. Delegates
will receive a comprehensive training pack.
Date: Tuesday 4th
Time: 09.00-17.00
Location: Group House
Coming in 2013
●
Safeguarding
●
Building a successful business
●
Outcomes and personalisation
● Please note: All workshops require a
minimum number of delegates for them to run.
Homecarer – November 2012
23
Q
A
Q
A
Should we consider vaccination for our care staff?
You should certainly carry out a risk assessment, taking
into account all relevant factors, to determine whether
you need to vaccinate staff. This will involve looking at
your service user group and the kind of services you are
carrying out.
For example, if you are considering seasonal flu or
Hepatitis B vaccination, there is useful information
available as follows:
1. The Department of Health's Green Book describes
the different types of vaccination and when they are
appropriate. Although more health than social care
orientated it is still useful to employers carrying out a
risk assessment. See: http://immunisation.dh.gov.uk/gbcomplete-current-edition/. The Green Book is updated
frequently, so it's essential to check you are reading the
current version and consult the appropriate chapter.
2. If you are in England, you must consult the DH
Code of Practice on Infection Control, which outlines
employers' duties, including who should pay for
vaccination if risk assessment determines that
vaccination is necessary. This is available here:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publicatio
ns/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_122604
3. You may also wish to consult UKHCA's guidance
on infection control, available free to members at:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=290
4. See www.ukhca.co.uk/flu for information on seasonal flu vaccination across the UK, with links to sources
of further information. You might also wish to read
UKHCA's Pandemic Flu guidance produced in 2010.
This contains legal advice on the potential liabilities of
employers who encourage staff to be vaccinated. Our
legal helpline is available to help if you need more up to
date advice on the issue.
5. The Health and Safety Executive website has a
section on blood-borne diseases which outlines employer
and employee responsibilities to take care and minimise
risk at: www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/blood-borneviruses/index.htm The British Liver Trust publishes
leaflets on hepatitis B and other liver conditions:
www.britishlivertrust.org.uk/home/the-liver/liverdiseases.aspx
Employers are also increasingly using occupational
health advisers to help on this sort of question. The HSE
has an Employment Medical Advisory Service that can
sometimes assist on difficult issues, but their role
appears a bit unclear following cuts which have seen the
HSE move towards online support.
We’re based in England. How long should we keep care
records and how should we destroy those that are no
longer needed?
Care regulation
The rules are set out in the Care Quality Commission’s
Essential Standards of Quality and Safety, see Outcome
21: Records which specifies what needs to be kept, how
they should be kept and for how long.
The Information Commissioner is also a good source of
information on data protection generally, if you are
reviewing your information collection and storage - 0303
123 1113 or www.ico.gov.uk/
Destroying documents
As far as we're aware there are no specific requirements
for shredding documents - only that documents that
need to be securely destroyed are securely destroyed (for
Q
A
and
A selection of questions
put to the helpline
Q
A
example, shredded, pulped, burned, recycled). If an outside company is hired to do this you are still responsible
for ensuring the documents are destroyed in a secure
manner.
With any data destruction (physical or electronic) you
need to consider who has access, or could easily gain
access (for example staff, refuse collector, staff at an
external company) and should they have access. The
other thing to consider is how easy it is to recover information from a "destroyed" document. For agencies that
want to completely destroy a document, a shredder with
a DIN rating of at least 3 – together with making the
document owner responsible for the shredding of it – are
the most secure and practical solutions.
We know care workers need to have business use cover
as part of their car insurance, but we don't specifically
reimburse them for this. Should we deduct this
expense from workers' pay as "unreimbursed expenses", before calculating national minimum wage?
If you pay an enhanced hourly rate or a mileage rate to
workers, you need to be clear what this is supposed to
cover and if it includes car insurance costs, like business
use. If you don't reimburse these costs at all, then you
must take this into account in your national minimum
wage calculations.
Douglas Mullen of Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
explains: "If these extra costs are not reimbursed, then
they may reduce remuneration for minimum wage purposes. However, it's worth noting that mileage rates can
cover not just fuel but also other expenses such as business use insurance. Providers need to think about and
document what they intend to cover when they are paying mileage. The AA's factsheet, which is updated from
time to time, might be of help with this:
www.theaa.com/resources/Documents/pdf/motoringadvice/running-costs/petrol2012.pdf
www.ukhca.co.uk